WASHINGTON — The Navy today announced it plans to issue a competitive solicitation to design, build and integrate its Future X-Band Radar, a key capability for allowing the service’s surface fleet to detect and track incoming missile threats.
The solicitation for work running from fiscal 2026 through 2033 will be to “design the Future X-Band Radar (FXR), and to build, integrate, and test FXR Engineering Development Models (EDMs) and deliver multiple low-rate initial production (LRIP) units,” according to a Navy notice on the government’s contracting website. The notice does not provide a timeline for when the formal request for proposals will be published.
X-band radars operate using a different frequency and the technology is capable of tracking small objects due to its increased sensitivity.
The future X-band radar would replace the service’s current AN/SPQ-9B Anti-Ship Missile Defense radar, which is installed on a number of amphibious ships, destroyers, cruisers and carriers, and complements the capabilities of the SPY-6(V) family of S-band radars made by Raytheon. The SPQ-9B has been in service since the 1990s and contracts to replace it could be worth billions.
“The AN/SPQ-9B scans out to the horizon and performs simultaneous and automatic air and surface target detection and tracking of low flying Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles (ASCMs), surface threats and low/slow flying aircraft, UAVs and helicopters,” according to Naval Sea Systems Command.
In general S-band radars are commonly used for surveillance and are capable of operating in severe weather conditions.
Such a competition to outfit the Navy’s fleet could include contractors around from the globe. American defense prime Raytheon is already under contract to provide the service with its SPY-6(V) family of radars. Meanwhile, Italy-based Leonardo, France-based Thales and Sweden-based Saab all have their own offerings used by armed forces in their home countries, by NATO nations, and elsewhere around the globe.